Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus can all be seen in the night sky during January.
Jan 072013
Dec 242012
On Christmas day, many sky watchers will be wondering what that brilliant silvery “star” is hovering just above the waxing gibbous moon. It’s not a start (or Santa returning to the North Pole), but the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. What a way to end the more »
Dec 232012
There is a special treat for skywatchers this year on Christmas. At the end of the day on Dec. 25th, a pair of holiday lights will pop out of the deepening twilight. Jupiter and the Moon are having a Christmas conjunction visible around the globe.
Dec 122012
The final major meteor shower of every year is always the December Geminid shower, often producing 50 or more meteors per hour. The shower will peak late night on December 13th and last until dawn. The Geminids is a beloved shower, because, as a general rule, it’s either the August more »
Dec 102012
Geminid Meteor Shower, one of the best meteor showers of the year and guaranteed to put on a show, peaks tonight. Meteor experts say this meteor shower is at the top of the list in brilliance and reliability. This time every year the Earth passes through the debris field more »
Dec 022012
See Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus at Night
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Nov 302012
This is a great week for planetary observers. Tuesday morning, Mercury will come in view just before sunrise. Use Saturn and Venus to point the way to Mercury. This is a treat for skywatchers because Mercury hardly ever strays far from the sun. Jupiter continues to dominate the night night more »
Nov 262012
Any stargazers who manages to get out of bed early tomorrow morning will see Venus, Saturn and Mercury together in the predawn sky. Mercury will appear near to the east-southeastern horizon, while Venus and Saturn will be 1 degree apart in the constellation Virgo. They should be visible for the more »
Nov 262012
A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 28, 2012, will be the last eclipse of the year. People in Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and most of Asia can see the eclipse. You must be in Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, or east Asia to watch the entire eclipse. Observers in western more »
Nov 172012
A gigantic explosion happened on the sun Friday, November 16th. Magnetic fields snaking halfway across the sun's southern hemisphere erupted in tandem, producing a prominence so big, it doesn't fit inside this image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The red-glowing looped material is plasma, a hot gas made of more »
Nov 162012
The Leonids Meteor Shower will peak late night on November 16 until dawn November 17. However, the best viewing will be several hours before dawn on November 17th. With clear skies, viewers can expect to see 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Even though the meteors radiate from the more »
Nov 132012
A moderate solar flare measuring M2.8 erupted from Region 1613 at 20:54 UTC, November 13, 2012. A 10cm Radio Burst was associated with the event, this can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with more »
Nov 132012
The Leonids Meteor Shower will peak late night on November 16 until dawn November 17. Radiating from the constellation Leo, the Leonid meteor shower is famous for spectacular shows. Historically, this shower has produced some of the greatest meteor storms in history – at least one in living memory, more »
Nov 122012
An interplanetary shock wave (probably the leading edge of a CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 12th at approximately 2300 UT, filling skies over northern Scandinavia with bright auroras. More auroras are to come as Earth passes through the magnetized wake of the CME. Our planet's polar magnetic field more »
Nov 122012
If you are lucky enough to be able to see a solar eclipse, you should make sure you protect your eyes and never look directly at the sun without proper protection. This is because the sun’s photosphere emits intense infrared and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Just as UV radiation causes sunburn more »
Nov 122012
The first total solar eclipse since July 2010 occurs the night of November 13th. Virtually the entire path of totality falls over water. At the very beginning, the track cuts through Australia's Northern Territory just to the east of Darwin, then across the Gulf of Carpentaria, then through northern more »
Nov 112012
The long standing Taurids Meteor Shower is from October 12th through December 2. At its peak this year's numbers are forecast at about 7 meteors per hour. Typically, you see the maximum numbers at around midnight to 1 a.m., when the constellation Taurus moves nearly overhead. This year, the thin more »
Nov 102012
The first total solar eclipse since July 2010 occurs the night of November 13th. Virtually the entire path of totality falls over water. At the very beginning, the track cuts through Australia's Northern Territory just to the east of Darwin, then across the Gulf of Carpentaria, then through more »
Nov 042012
Attention skywatchers! Be on the alert for Taurid fireballs in the nights ahead. Earth is entering a swarm of debris from the comet Encke. Meteoroids the size of pebbles are hitting the Earth's atmosphere at 25 km/s producing a slow drizzle of very bright fireballs from the constellation Taurus. Expect more »
Oct 242012
Police in southwest England say they were inundated with calls after a sonic boom, believed to be caused by a meteor, rocked Devon and Cornwall counties. Staff at a police station in Devon said floors in the building shook while doors were also blown open at another station, the more »